FINDLAY, Ohio – Ohio Dominican paired a 2019 regular season title with the program’s first winning run through the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Championship bracket to start the 2021 postseason with a 4-2 title-clinching victory on Saturday morning.
 
The Panthers, seeded sixth in the bracket, went 4-0 at Marathon Diamonds to lock in the championship trophy on what was also head coach Marcella Vanlandingham’s birthday.
 
Ohio Dominican defeated No. 1 seed Trevecca Nazarene to officially earn an automatic qualifying berth into the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional
 
It was an occasion to celebrate as the final out, a battle at the plate between winning pitcher Sydney Long and TNU’s Matti Byrd, resulted in an infield pop up that settled into the glove of Alexis Stevens at shortstop.
 
Stevens spiked the ball in the dirt and the celebration ensued as ODU emerged as conference champions for the first time since joining the Great Midwest in 2017-18.
 
Freshman Baylee Adams powered a two-run homer in the first inning for the offense and Long completed a remarkable run of her own in the circle to help slow down a red-hot Trojans’ offense that won three elimination games on Friday.
 
Long fanned eight and scattered seven hits over the complete game effort for her 17th win of the season. She outdueled her counterpart, first team all-conference righty Raygn Hall, who was showing her toughness after being struck by a line drive in a game on Friday.
 
The Trojans scored 23 runs in three games on Friday to push their way into the championship series. On paper, it certainly seemed like the ‘if necessary’ game could be a reality, with the bats heating up at just the right moment.
 
SS MaKray Odom had a two-run double that put the Trojans right back in contention during the third inning down 3-2. ODU’s Allison Madden had an RBI single to add to the Panthers’ lead in the third frame.
 
Long was dialed in as the pressure mounted and she finished off the game with five strikeouts in her final six outs recorded. She struck out the side in the sixth inning and fanned the first two hitters of the seventh.
 
Byrd spoiled off many pitches to fight in the batter’s box and potentially bring up Odom representing the tying run, but Long was able to deliver one more pitch to finish another strong start.
 
ODU defeated No. 6 Malone, No. 7 Ursuline, No. 4 Tiffin, and TNU to finish 4-0 in the conference championship bracket.